STOCKING ABBEY

Fourth, transitional, site of the community of Savigniac, later Cistercian, monks that was to eventually settle at Byland Abbey (UID 56808). In 1147 Roger de Mowbray allowed the community to move from (Old) Byland (57069), giving them 'two carucates of waste land in the territory of Cukwald (Coxwold) below the hill of Blakhou.' This is elsewhere called Stocking or Oldstead, and a likely site for the temporary abbey is Oldstead Hall in the parish of Kilburn, although this is by no means conclusive. Here they cleared the ground and built a small stone church, a cloister and other buildings and offices at the same time as preparing for the move to their fifth and final home at Byland in 1177. Robert Dayville, lord of Kilburn, asserted that they had inclosed part of his vill and to settle the dispute a boundary dyke (57382) was constructed.

A monastery was built at Stocking in 1147 on land granted to the Cistercian (formerly Savigniac) monks who moved from (Old) Byland (SE 58 NE 16). Whilst at Stocking the monks began clearing and draining swampy and overgrown land near Whitaker which had been included in their grant. This was to be the site of their new abbey of Byland (SE 57 NW 1), where they moved in 1177. (1)

In 1147 Roger de Mowbray gave the monks at Old Byland 'two carucates of waste land in the territory of Cukwald (Coxwold) below the hill of Blakhou.' This is elsewhere called Stocking. Here they cleared the ground and built a small stone church, a cloister and other buildings and offices. Robert Dayville, lord of Kilburn, asserted that they had inclosed part of his vill and to settle the dispute a boundary dyke (SE 58 SW 37) was constructed. (2-3)

There are more than a dozen 'Stocking' names within ten miles of Byland, but none fulfils the condition of being in the 'western part of the territory of Coxwold' as stated by Dugdale (4a). McDonnell considers the mention of 'veterem locum' or 'old stead' in documents relating to the site as significant, and says a possible site for the settlement may be at Oldstead Hall (SE 532 803) where fragments of medieval tile and masonry have been dug up in the grounds. However, against this suggestion is the fact that Oldstead Hall is low-lying in swampy land. (4)

Stocking was the Byland community's fourth home after Calder (NY 00 NE 9), Hood (SE 58 SW 32) and (Old) Byland (SE 58 NE 16). The Byland Abbey foundation history, written by Philip, the third abbot, at the end of the 12th century, refers to the site as 'Altsteed' or 'Stocking'; it is conventionally identified with either the present day Oldstead or Oldstead Grange in the parish of Kilburn. It appears that it was only ever intended as yet another temporary home, however, for the foundation narrative records that once there the monks (ie lay brothers) soon began to prepare a new site 'between Whiteker and the foot of the hill of Cam' (ie Byland: SE 57 NW 1), to which the choir monks finally removed on 30 October 1177 (5a). Geophysical survey by the University of Bradford in 1994 revealed traces of what could be a series of buildings arranged around a courtyard at Oldstead Hall (5b), but the claim that this represents the site of the community whilst at Stocking is by no means conclusive. That said, the fact that Oldstead Hall lies in a low-lying, swampy position, as observed by authority 4, is probably no reason not to equate the site with Stocking, for Cistercian abbeys were often founded in such locations.

Researched from documentary evidence as part of the EH: Byland Abbey Survey. See report (5c) in the NMR for further details and discussion. (5)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) General reference

Md Relig Houses 1971 114 117 125 (D Knowles & R N Hadcock)

( 2) General reference

VCH Yorks 3 1913 132

( 3) General reference

Byland Abbey - MOW Guide 1952 3-4 (C Peers)

( 4) Helmsley Archaeological Society Ryedale historian

J McDonnell 5 Page(s)46-7

( 4a) General reference

Mon Angl 1859 (Dugdale)

( 5) Field Investigators Comments

Marcus Jecock/25-OCT-2010/EH: Byland Abbey Survey

( 5A) General reference

Burton, J 2006, The Foundation History of the Abbeys of Byland and Jervaulx (York: Borthwick Institute), 9-18 and 34

Jecock, M, Burn, A, Brown, G and Oswald, A 2011, Byland Abbey, Ryedale, North Yorkshire: Archaeological Survey and Investigation of Part of the Precinct and Extra-Mural Area (RDRS 4-2011), 15-17 and 76